Tag Archives: Things to do Manchester

The recently opened Hotel Gotham takes its inspiration from Batman. You will find stylish monochrome rooms with a splash of comic book colour and with all the usual hotel comforts. Previously a bank, this hotel has retained and lovingly restored the beautiful architectural features and seamlessly fuses the old and new to create this stunning new quirky hotel.

The Restaurant

Australasia……and you have to go down under to reach it! The entrance looks similar to the Louvre only much smaller. Enter the glass pyramid structure, head down the stairs and await the flavours which will awaken those tastebuds. A blend of Indonesian, Southeast Asian and Japanese flavours come together to offer dishes such as Pot-roasted lobster with kaffir lime, chilli and Thai basil and Rack of lamb with polenta and Japanese aubergine. For those who can manage, desserts are a must with unique offerings such as Ginger and green tea cheesecake and Mango soufflé with coconut ice-cream and a mango soup.

If you want to head somewhere a little different, try Dusk Til Pawn. This quirky cocktail bar is well disguised as a pawn shop but be brave enough to step inside and you will be treated to an array of good quality spirits and cocktails and it even has a good old fashioned jukebox.

The shop

We’re cheating here and having two! For clothes, head to Junk which offers sustainable fashion that’s creative, playful, multi-cultural and distinctive and it’s all made in Manchester.

For music lovers out there, Piccadilly Records needs no more than just that mention. For those of you less familiar, this is one of the world’s finest independent record shops and has awards to prove it. If it’s a CD or vinyl you’re looking for and whether it’s disco or Balearic, this friendly shop is very likely to be able to find it for you.

The Whitworth Art Gallery is Manchester’s ‘Gallery in the Park’. Recently reopened after a large refurbishment, you will find two new wings in which it can show off its historical and contemporary pieces. You will find works by Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore and watercolours by Turner alongside changing exhibitions. Cornelia Paker’s signature piece, Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View, will be exhibited until the end of May.

The Hidden Gem

Funnily enough there is actually a church which is called the ‘Hidden Gem’ and so a mention must be given to this. However, if you like books, a visit to Chetham’s is a must. It was founded in 1653 and is the oldest public library in the English speaking world. It’s closed from 12:30 pm until 1:30pm for lunch and at 4:30 pm for the day and so time your visit well.